1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to portable electronic video display devices and, more particularly to a hand held, microprocessor based device which, when used in conjunction with a personal computer (PC) having a peripherally connected mass storage device, such as a compact disk (CD) read only memory (ROM) device, simulates a book.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Compact disc technology has gained wide acceptance in the art of digital audio recording and reproduction. More recently, compact disks have been used to store large quantities of digital data for access by personal computers. A single compact disc, for example, has the capacity to store a complete encyclopedia. Currently, there is available on the market compact disc drives for connection to personal computers and the software for the control of the disc drives that make possible the very rapid random access of the data stored on a compact disk. One application on the market is a so-called desk set of reference books including a dictionary, thesaurus, and style manual recorded on compact disc for use as a writer""s aid. In addition, a number of data bases, including Chemical Abstracts, are available on compact disc for off line searching using a personal computer.
The current application for compact disc (CD) read only memories (ROMs) are both limited and expensive, and as long as the applications remain limited, the cost of the technology will remain high. In order to broaden significantly the appeal and use of CD ROMs, it is necessary to make the technology more user friendly and, in the process, make the use of the technology practical in more than library, archival and office applications. Only in this way will the true potential of this technology by realized.
Known in the prior art are various audio/visual educational systems which use video discs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,810 to Hon discloses an automated instruction game and retrieval system that utilizes a video disc and disc player. The Hon system includes a user command response unit that includes a liquid crystal display (LCD). One feature of the Hon system is that several students can be taught at different rates or that several shoppers can be served by a single video disc at the same time.
In an earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,345, Hon discloses a health education system for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A student reads visual information and views graphic scenes while interacting with a doll that has multiple sensors. The system coaches the student to perform the action properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,417 to Rubincam discloses an electronic book wherein the contents of a book or magazine are digitally encoded onto a memory which is insertable in the book. The encoded information may then be displayed on the screen of the device. A similar disclosure may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,225 to Washizuka which describes a portable audio/visual electronic apparatus with insertable memory units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,469 to Oliver et al. discloses an activated child""s book or greeting card which is provided by solar cells. U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,081 to Wilbur discloses examples of foldable, illuminated greeting cards wherein light emitting diodes (LEDs) are positioned on a printed circuit board to illuminate a message when the card is opened. U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,659 to Yokoi et al. shows a foldable LCD used for electronic game devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,193 to Haynes discloses a reading tutor device which coordinates the reading of textual material with an audio presentation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,222 to Smith et al. discloses a hand held electronic game playing device with replaceable cartridges and user operated switches which allow games to be played. U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,859 to Corso discloses a viewer for displaying information recorded on printed tape.
While the foregoing prior art generally describe various portable and/or educational type devices, some of which incorporate pluggable memory devices, none addresses the problem of providing a user friendly interface for the access of the very large databases potentially available on CD ROMs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide the user of mass storage technology with the simplicity of the look and feel of a book while allowing access to a very large database.
According to the present invention, a device about the size and shape of a book is provided as the user interface for accessing a CD ROM database. The device simulates a book in look and feel and might, for example, be bound in leather or other book binding material and embossed with the user""s name or a business name, depending on the specific application and end user. Because of its size, shape and feel, the device would be immediately accepted by a very large number of people, especially those with very limited or no exposure and training on computers.
The device is microprocessor driven and has a large, easily viewable screen on one surface. The device preferably has some flexibility to enhance its look and feel of a book, and a screen using, for example, LCD technology is used. The device is battery powered, and the battery may be rechargeable by means of a conventional recharger and/or by solar cells positioned adjacent or even below the screen. About the periphery of the device are a plurality of infrared (IR) emitting diodes and photocells to allow the device to communicate, without wires or cables, with a personal computer (PC) having a peripherally connected mass storage device, such as a CD ROM. The PC is in turn equipped with an IR transceiver, and the arrangement is such that a user of the device can be anywhere in a room and still have access to the data on the CD ROM via a limited number of switches on the device. The IR transmissions are omnidirectional, with radiation bouncing off the walls the device is held is not critical to the communications link. The switches on the device may be either soft or hard. What is meant by a xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d switch is a displayable area on the screen which is a xe2x80x9ctouchxe2x80x9d screen. In contrast, a hard switch would comprise a keypad for entering a page number, and perhaps some commands, and a tactile pad switch which can be stroked with a thumb or finger in a direction which can be sense by the switch. The tactile pad switch may be sensitive to four directions in a manner analogous to a track ball, and is used to turn pages forward or back and scroll up and down on a page. It is desirable to display a complete page on the screen, in which case scrolling up and down would not be required.
The device, or CD book as it is referred to hereinafter, provides the user with the look and feel of a book while allowing access to a very large database on a CD. This not only makes searching such a database more acceptable to many people, but is also provides an encouragement to younger people to read. The CD book can be used in multiple units for purposes of presentations at meetings or, with a PC provided with a multitasking/multiuser operating system, allow several users to simultaneously access different portions of the database simultaneously. The CD book has several pages of memory so that it can be carried away from the PC, as for example on an airplane, and the pages, about twenty in number, can be displayed for later reading. Both character and bit mapped displays are supported so that graphics as well as text could be displayed.
While the invention is particularly described in terms of a CD book which allows access to large data bases on compact disks, it will be understood that the invention has application to any type of mass storage media, including fixed or removable magnetic disks, magnetic tape or the like. CD technology is currently the most promising form of high density mass storage technology and represents the best mode of practicing the invention; but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the art of mass storage is rapidly changing, and the invention could easily be used with other mass storage technologies not yet developed.